A Fayetteville man who was a convicted felon when police caught him with a gun in 2014 was sentenced to 8 years, 4 months in federal prison for the crime, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Conner Eldridge.
James VanValkenberg, 22, will also be subject to three years of supervised release, the news release stated.
VanValkenberg was arrested in 2014 after Fayetteville police officers heard a vehicle collision. When they went to the scene, they saw VanValkenberg digging around inside his vehicle. He began walking away from the scene when he saw officers, and was caught after a foot chase during which officers used a stun gun on him at least twice.
VanValkenberg had a .25-caliber Beretta pistol, according to the news release. Because he had five previous felony convictions, he was prohibited from having a gun.